centinel in Hamlet, interrogated with relation to the ghoft whether his watch had been quiet, anfwers with great propriety for a man in his ftation, "Not a mouse "ftirring."

I proceed to a fecond remark, not lefs important than the former. No perfon of reflection but must be fenfible, that an incident makes a ftronger impreffion on an eye-witness, than when heard at fecond hand. Writers of genius, fenfible that the eye is the best avenue to the heart, reprefent every thing as paffing in our fight; and from readers or hearers, transform us, as it were, into fpectators: a skilful writer conceals himself, and prefents his perfonages: in a word, every thing becomes dramatic as much as poffible. Plutarch, de gloria Athenienfium, obferves, that Thucydides makes his reader a fpectator, and infpires him with the fame paffions as if he were an eye-witnefs; and the fame obfervation is applicable to our countryman Swift. From this happy talent arifes that energy of ftyle which is peculiar to the latter: he cannot always avoid narration; but the pencil is his choice, by which he beltows life and colouring upon his objects. Pope is richer in ornament, but poffeffeth not in the fame degree the talent of drawing from the life. A tranflation of the fixth fatire of Horace, begun by the former, and finifhed by the latter, affords the fairest opportunity for a comparison. Pope obviously imitates the picturefque manner of his friend: yet every one of tafte must be fenfible, that the imitation, though fine, falls fhort of the original. In other inftances, where Pope writes in his own ftyle, the difference of manner is still more confpicuous

Abstract or general terms have no good effect in any compofition for amufement; becaufe it is only of par

K 3

ticular

* One can scarce avoid fmiling at the blindness of a certain critic, who, with an air of self-sufficiency, condemns this expreffion as low and vulgar. A French poet, fays he, would exprefs the fame thought in a more fublime manner : Mais tout dort, et l'armée, et les 66 vents, et Neptune." And he adds, "The English "poet may please at London, but the French every “where else.”

Shakef

ticular objects that images can be formed *. pear's ftyle in that refpect is excellent every article in his defcriptions is particular, as in nature; and if accidentally a vague expreffion flip in, the blemith is extremely difcernible by the bluntnefs of its impreffion. Take the following example: Falstaff, excufing himself for running away at a robbery, fays,

By the Lord, I knew ye, as well as he that made ye. Why, hear ye, my mafters; was it for me to kill the heir-apparent? fhould I turn upon the true prince? Why, thou knoweft, I am as valiant as Hercules; but beware instinct, the lion will not touch the true prince: inftinct is a great matter. I was a coward on inftinct: I fhall think the better of myself, and thee, during my life; I, for a valiant lion, and thou for a true prince. But, by the Lord, lads, I am glad you have the money. Hoftess,. clap to the doors, watch to-night, pray to-morrow. Gallants, lads, boys, hearts of gold, all the titles of good fellowship come to you! What, fhall we be merry? fhall we have a play extempore?

First part, Henry IV. að 2. sc. 9. The fentence I object to is, inftinct is a great matter, which makes but a poor figure, compared with the livelinefs of the rest of the speech. It was one of Homer's advantages, that he wrote before general terms were multiplied: the fuperior genius of Shakefpear difplays itfelf in avoiding them after they were multiplied. Addifon defcribes the family of Sir Roger de Ceverley in the following words:

You would take his valet de chambre for his brother, his butler is gray-headed, his groom is one of the graveft men that I have ever seen, and his coachman has the looks of a privy counsellor. Spectator, N° 106. The defcription of the groom is lefs lively than of the others; plainly because the expreffion, being vague and general, tends not to form any image. "Dives opum

variarum," is an expreffion ftill more vague; and fo are the following:

* See chap. 4.
Georg. ii. 468.

Mæcenas,

Fortius et melius magnas plerumque fecat res.

Horat. Satir. lib. 1. fat. 10.

In the fine arts, it is a rule, to put the capital objects in the strongest point of view and even to prefent them oftener than once, where it can be done. In hiftory-painting, the principal figure is placed in the front, and in the beft light: an equeftrian ftatue is placed in a centre of streets, that it may be feen from many places at once. In no compofition is there greater opportunity for this rule than in writing:

Sequitur pulcherrimus Aftur, Aftur equo fidens et verficoloribus armis.

Eneid. x. 180.

Full many a lady

I've ey'd with beft regard, and many a time
Th' harmony of their tongues hath into bondage
Brought my too diligent ear; for several virtues
Have I lik'd feveral women, never any
With fo full foul, but fome defect in her
Did quarrel with the nobleft grace she ow'd,
And put it to the foil But you, O you,
So perfect, and fo peerlefs, are created

Of every creature's best. Tempeft, at 3. fc. 1. . Whate'er you are

Orlando

That in this defert inacceffible,

Under the fhade of melancholy boughs,

Lofe and neglect the creeping hours of time;
If ever you have look'd on better days;

If ever been where bells have knoll'd to church;
If ever fat at any good man's feaft

If ever from your eye-lids wip'd a tear,
And know what 'tis to pity, and be pity'd;
K 4

Let

Let gentleness my ftrong inforcement be,
In the which hope I blush, and hide my fword.

Duke fen. True is it that we have feen better days
And have with holy bell been knoll'd to church;
And fat at good mens feafts; and wip'd our eyes.
Of drops that facred pity had engender'd.:
And therefore fit you down in gentlenefs,~
And take upon command what help we have,
That to your wanting may be miniftred..

like it.

As you
With thee converfing I forget all time;
All feafons and their change, all please alike..
Sweet is the breath of morn, her rifing sweet,
With charm of earliest birds; pleasant the fun
When firft on this delightful land he spreads
His orient beams, on herb, tree, fruit, and flow'r,,
Gliftering with dew; fragrant the fertile earth.
After foft fhowers; and fweet the coming on
Of grateful evening mild, the filent night
With this her folenin bird, and this fair moon,
And these the gems of heav'n, her starry train ::
But neither breath of morn, when the afcends.
With charm of earliest birds, nor rifing fun.
On this delightful land, nor herb, fruit, flower,.
Gliftering with dew, nor fragrance after showers,,
Nor grateful evening mild, nor filent night,
With this her folemn bird, nor walk by moon,,
Or glittering ftar-light, without thee is fweet..

Paradife loft, book 4. 1. 634».

What mean ye, that ye ufe this proverb, The fathers: have eaten four grapes, and the childrens teeth are fet on edge? As I live, faith the Lord God, ye fhall not have occafion to use this proverb in Ifrael. If a man keep my judgments to deal truly, he is juft, he fhall furely live. But if he be a robber, a fhedder of blood; if he have eaten upon the mountains, and defiled his neighbour's. wife; if he have oppreffed the poor and needy, have Spoiled by violence, have not reftored the pledge, have lift up his eyes to idols, have given forth upon ufury, and have taken increafe: fhall he live? he fhall not live: he fhall furely die; and his blood shall be upon him. Now, lo, if he beget a fon, that feeth all his father's fins,.

and

and confidereth, and doth not fuch like; that hath not

eaten upon the mountains, hath not lift up his eyes to idols, nor defiled his neighbour's wife, hath not oppreffed any, nor with-held the pledge, neither hath spoiled by violence, but hath given his bread to the hungry, and covered the naked with a garment; that hath not received ufury nor increase, that hath executed my judg‐ ments, and walked in my ftatutes; he fhall not die for the iniquity of his father; he shall furely live. The foul that finneth, it fhall die; the fon fhall not bear the iniquity of the father, neither fhall the father bear the iniquity of the fon; the righteoufnefs of the righteous fhall. be upon him, and the wickednefs of the wicked fhall be upon him. Have I any pleasure that the wicked should die, faith the Lord God; and not that he should return from his ways and live? Ezekiel xviii..

The repetitions in Homer, which are frequent, have been the occafion of much criticifm. Suppose we were at a lofs about the reafon, might not tafte be fufficient to justify them? At the fame time, we are at no lofs about the reafon: they evidently make the narration dramatic, and have an air of truth, by making things appear as paffing in our fight,

A concife comprehenfive ftyle is a great ornament in narration; and a fuperfluity of unneceffary words, not lefs than of circumstances, a great nuisance. A judicious felection of the ftriking circumftances clothed in a nervous style, is delightful. In this ftyle, Tacitus excells all writers, antient and modern. Inftances are numberless: take the following specimen..

Crebra hinc prælia, et fæpius in modum latrocinii : per faltus, per paludes; ut cuique fors aut virtus: temere, provifo, ob iram, ob prædam, juffu, et aliquando ignaris ducibus.: Annal. lib. 12. § 39.

After Tacitus, Offian in that refpect justly merits the place of diftinction. One cannot go wrong for exam ples in any part of his book; and at the firft opening the following inftance meets my eye:

Nathos clothed his limbs in fhining fteel. The ftride. of the chief is lovely: the joy of his eye terrible. The wind ruffles in his hair. Darthula is filent at his fide: